Lawrence’s rep appeared to confirm photos of the Oscar winner were real, saying, “The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos.”

The leak was linked to a possible breach of the popular iCloud service, which lets iPhone users store data online.

An Apple spokeswoman told The AP the Cupertino-based company was investigating whether any iCloud accounts had been tampered with, saying, “We take user privacy very seriously.” Meanwhile, Engadget said Monday that Apple had identified and fixed an iCloud security flaw related to the Find My iPhone app.

Some stars, including singer Ariana Grande and “Victorious” star Victoria Justice, called the images fakes.

“These so called nudes of me are FAKE people,” Justice tweeted. “Let me nip this in the bud right now. *pun intended*”
Others did not.

“To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves,” Winstead tweeted.

In addition to the loss of privacy, the stars were targeted by critics like Ricky Gervais, who tweeted “Celebrities, make it harder for people to get nude pics of you from your computer by not putting nude pics of yourself on your computer.” The “Office” star quickly deleted the comment after inciting his own tidal wave of criticism.

QUICK TAKES

A lost letter by San Francisco native Jack London to his publisher was found recently at a Connecticut library, tucked inside a 1906 edition of his book “White Fang.” ... Joan Rivers, who was rushed to the hospital Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, is on life support. … A paparazzo says Alec Baldwin put him in a headlock Sunday after he snapped photos of the actor and his family at a park. … TV host Jenny McCarthy and New Kid-turned-actor Donnie Wahlberg tied the knot Sunday.

About The Author

Bio:
Giselle Velazquez was born and raised in the shadow of San Francisco's Diamond Heights and now lives in the shadow of South San Francisco's Sign Hill. She has written for publications such as The S.F. Examiner, Ventura County Star, and the S.F. Bay Guardian.